Grant helps Converse bolster PD force

Growth cited as need for moreofficers on patrol throughout city

Published 3:53 pm, Thursday, October 13, 2016

A federal grant is giving the city of Converse two additional police officers for the next three years as the city moves to bolster the number of law enforcement officer it puts on patrol.

Under the Department of Justice’s 2016 COPS Hiring Program, Converse will receive funds to hire two additional police officers, receiving $237,443 to be spread out over a three-year period. The federal grant will pay 75 percent of the cost of hiring the pair of officers for the first year, 50 percent for the second year, and 25 percent of the cost the third year. One condition of receiving the grant is that Converse must keep the officers on staff for at least a fourth year, which falls completely on the city to fund.

The city’s matching funds in the program amount to $79,148, which City Manager Lanny Lambert said is money well spent for a city already trying to build its force.

“We’re hiring four new officers in this year’s budgets, and these two more…will give us an additional two per shift more than what we currently have,” Lambert said.

Lambert anticipates no issues keeping the two COPS-funded officers on the city payroll once the program expires. “We calculate that, for the last three to four years, about 50 new people a month have moved to Converse,” he said. “We believe by that time (the grant ends), we’ll need them (the officers) and expect to be hiring more.”

Converse Mayor Al Suarez thanked Converse employee Stella Calvillo for aggressively pursuing participation in the COPS program that has eluded Converse in the past.

An Oct. 3 letter outlining the grant stated that the grant award date is retroactive to Sept. 1.

“We’ve had tremendous growth and we haven’t had any additional police officers in three or four years. We just didn’t have the money to do it, so I’d say we are way behind (in police staffing),” Lambert said. “We think we can get them right away because we’re already in the process of (having) an interview panel and an applicant pool. That’s perfect timing for our process.”

He said he anticipates having all six hired in the next 30 days or less.

Currently, Converse staffs three to five officers per shift, with additional emphasis on weekends. The influx of six officers will allow for five to seven officers per shift.